UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is out of UFC 295 due to injury. His fight with Stipe Miocic has been scrapped.
UFC president Dana White broke the news late Tuesday night on social media.
BREAKING NEWS…………… Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Main Event is Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira. #UFC295 is LIVE at MSG on ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/SaPAwpyHi2
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 25, 2023
With the UFC 295 main event off the card completely the light heavyweight title fight between former champions Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira has been elevated to the headliner spot.
In the co-main event Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall will battle for the UFC interim heavyweight title.
Jones tore the tendon that connects the pectoral muscle to the bone clean off which will now require surgery and an 8-month absence for the heavyweight champion according to White.
Pavlovich (18-1) is on a 6-fight win streak with victories over Curtis Blaydes, Derrick Lewis and Tau Tuivasa included. He now gets his first shot at UFC gold at UFC 295.
Aspinall (13-3) fired off 5 straight victories in the UFC before suffering an injury during his fight with Blaydes which snapped the win streak. He returned this last July and scored a TKO victory over Marcin Tybura which put him on the short list of title contenders.
The unprecedented injury to Jon Jones raises the question of retirement for the future UFC hall of famer and all-time great. After booking the fight with Miocic he mentioned it could be the last fight of his career.
It’s to be seen if and when Jones will return to the octagon following this injury.
